Quick Escape to San Antonio

San Antonio RiverwalkSan Antonio might be home to the Alamo, but it’s the Riverwalk that lends the city its charm. Take the steps down to this soothing river, shaded by tall cypress, oaks, and willows and you feel transported to a tropical setting just below the busy downtown streets. But the reason I love San Antonio is the fantastic biking. Rent bikes from the Blue Star Bicycling Company at the Blue Star Arts Complex and pedal on the 10-mile-long bike trail called the Mission Reach. It’s not uncommon to find herons, egrets, families of ducks, and turtles lounging in the waters, and colorful wildflowers in full bloom. When the trail ends at Mission Road, you can turn right to visit Mission Concepcion or left to visit Mission San Jose. These early 18th-century Spanish colonial missions are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of a national historic park. I always bring my camera to poke around these impressive buildings and get great shots of the light and shadows reflecting off the walls.

But there’s so much more! Two world class art museums, San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay, one of my favorite botanical gardens in the country, and that dining mecca, The Pearl, that I first described upon its debut in this Washington Post story. Home to the San Antonio branch of the Culinary Institute of America, award-winning restaurants, and a chic boutique hotel built from the remnants of the Pearl Brewery called Hotel Emma, the Pearl is my go-to neighborhood in town. The top restaurant here is Cured, but you better love meat and reserve in advance.

Quick Escape, New Orleans

New OrleansOne of our favorite sections of each ActiveTravels newsletter is the Quick Escape column, where we get to focus on a destination we can easily visit over a 3 to 4-day span. This being February, the shortest month of the year, we decided to revisit some of these short getaways this week and update with topical information. All are ideally suited for a late winter/early spring getaway. First Stop, New Orleans!

All trips to Nola start at the French Quarter to grab beignets at Café Du Monde and then listen to live jazz on Frenchmen Street that evening. But also plan to ride the Streetcar on St. Charles Ave, bike along the estates in the Garden District, and visit the Lower 9th Ward Living Museum and The National WWII Museum. The Museum of Southern Jewish Experience, located in the Warehouse District, opened in early 2021. The museum explores the unique history and culture of Southern Jews: how and when they arrived, which customs they held on to, and how they created new traditions alongside their neighbors in cities large and small across the South.

The Four Seasons New Orleans opened its doors in August 2021. Located on the Riverfront at the foot of Canal Street, the hotel is the latest addition to the city’s luxury accommodations. The property includes two restaurants: Miss River by Chef Alon Shaya (best known for his James Beard award-winning Israeli restaurant, Shaya) and Chemin a La Mer by Chef Donald Link and The Chandelier Bar. Chemin a La Mer offers spectacular views of the Mississippi River. The 238-room Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the latest lifestyle brand to open its doors in the Warehouse District in August 2021.

Top Travel Days of 2021, Every Day in Jamaica

Good Times in JamaicaIt was wonderful to return to the warmth of Jamaica with the family in December after a 3-year absence. Having been to the island over a dozen times, I don’t feel the need to walk up Dunn’s River Falls, see Bob Marley’s boyhood home in Nine Mile, watch the cliff divers jump off the rocks near Rick’s, or raft down the many rivers. Because I’ve already done that many times. No, all I wanted to do was spend time with the family, swimming in the soothing Caribbean waters, walking the beach to spot pelicans, reading the latest Amor Towles novel, playing and usually losing in Rummikub, eating my daily lunch of spicy jerk chicken, and certainly drinking my fair share of rum. It was well-deserved rest and rejuvenation for my weary body and soul.

Thanks for tuning in this week to our annual line-up of favorite travels during the previous year. If you want to see what ActiveTravels is excited about in 2022, please have a look at our latest newsletter.

Top Travel Days of 2021, Day Trip to The Hague from Amsterdam

MC Escher Museum, the HagueBy Lisa Leavitt

I spent 9 days in the Netherlands last October and believe it or not, it wasn’t enough time to see all I wanted to see in that small country! We cruised down sunshine-dappled canals in “saloon” boats, we viewed the international flower auction where millions of the world’s flowers are sold and shipped, we strolled cobblestone streets through small villages, we visited the Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum and checked out the fascinating Maastricht region in the south. Each of our nine days were jam-packed with wonderful sights, delicious food and lots of wine and champagne. The Dutch were delighted to see our group of American travel advisors, since the pandemic has been long and difficult for them.

If I had to choose one favorite day on my whirlwind trip, it would be the one where we journeyed to The Hague, one hour southwest of Amsterdam, and the seat of government for the country. Our first stop was at the Mauritshuis Museum, a tiny gem of a place with a magnificent art collection. Our guide was witty and informative and best of all, we could get face to face with such famous paintings as Vermeer’s The Girl with The Pearl Earring, and Fabritius’s Goldfinch. What an absolute joy!

Lunch was next in a former city palace now turned luxury hotel, Hotel des Indes. This hotel opened in 1881 and has hosted such luminaries as Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama and Josephine Baker. I would love to be at their dinner table! Lunch was sumptuous and delicious and they served us way too much champagne.

Our next stop was just a few steps up the road, thankfully. We were headed to the M.C. Escher Museum, also housed in a former palace, this time for Queen Emma of the Netherlands. Now Escher’s works are displayed throughout this lovely building adding a discordant note to all the opulence. The chandeliers by Dutch sculptor Hans van Bentem adorn many of the galleries and are not to be believed. Madonna saw them while visiting and now has some in her home.

Mesdag Panorama, The HagueYou’d think our day would be complete at this point, but no! Our last stop in The Hague was the Panorama Museum. Here is a circular painting, Europe’s biggest, by Hendrik Willem Mesdag. It’s as if you are standing in a lighthouse and looking 360 degrees out to see the beach, the ocean, the nearby villages. And, we were able to get behind the scenes with a guide. What an amazing day!

I can’t thank the Dutch Travel Advisor enough for arranging this trip for me and other travel advisors. They are true destination experts and showed us the authentic Netherlands with wonderful guides, excellent experiences, providing for me memories I won’t soon forget. ActiveTravels is happy to help recreate this experience for you!

Top Travel Days of 2021, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont

Theo's First Road Trip to Stowe, VermontWhen Vermont finally reopened to Massachusetts residents last May after their long lockdown due to the pandemic, we jumped in the car with our son, Jake, and puppy, Theo, and hit the road. The expansive green grounds of Trapp Family Lodge is the ideal place for a dog to roam. We biked the trails, played Frisbee Golf, and dined on bratwurst, washed down with pilsner at their Bierhall. Then made necessary microbrew pick-ups at the Alchemist and Hill Farmstead and went twice to dog-friendly Wiessner Woods to hike deep in the woods and fill our lungs with the crisp mountain air. It was the perfect quick escape!

Top Travel Days of 2021, Exploring New Brunswick’s Fundy Trail Parkway

Long Bach, Fundy Trail Parkway In September, I had the good fortune to return to New Brunswick, Canada, once the border finally reopened to Americans. 23 years after the Fundy Trail Parkway debuted in 1998, the extension of the 30-kilomter drive to nearby Fundy National Park was finally finished. My friend, Jeff, and I drove some 90 minutes from Saint John to reach the East Gate of the Fundy Trail Parkway. Within five minutes, we were at our first stop, Walton Glen Gorge, where the granite spans some 900 meters wide. We walked the short kilometer walk to the observation tower and soon were staring in awe at Little Salmon River as it surges through the Eye of the Needle.

The waters of the Bay of Fundy were by our side the rest of the day. A series of lookouts soon followed on the left as we peered down at the verdant slopes sliding into the sea, not unlike the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton. It only gets better from here. Long Beach is a marvel to behold, stretching about a third of a mile out to sea at low tide. We walked some 2 kilometers on a loop and it was honestly hard to tear me away from this spot. We found colorful green, gray, and granite pebbles, fantastic rock formations, and ripples of sand on the ocean floor that would be awash in water in a matter of hours. Edward Weston would have a field day here and so would any other photographer.

For lunch, we headed to the Cookhouse for a fantastic turkey sandwich, where the meat is processed by Chef Tracy’s turkey farmer neighbor on bread that was baked that morning. Afterwards, we opted for the insanely good molasses cake and walked around the room peering at the century-old photographs of loggers cutting down the cherished white pine to build tall masts at the shipping port of Saint John. To work off lunch, we strolled across the suspension bridge at Salmon River, where the waters were once teeming with so much salmon you could practically walk across the river. After one last requisite stop at Fuller Falls to see the water cascading down the slick rock into the Bay of Fundy, we arrived at the West Gate and the seaside town of St. Martins, the end of a magical coastal drive.

Top Travel Days of 2021, Biking Atlanta

Martin Luther King Jr. BikingSince we celebrate the great Martin Luther King Jr. today, it’s a good time to dive into my top travel days of last year, which includes MLK’s hometown of Atlanta. We arrived in Atlanta for 3 nights after a weeklong trip along the South Carolina and Georgia coast in early November. Any one of those days could have made this list, especially strolling through the centuries-old live oaks at Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation, dripping with Spanish moss, and a majestic walk on the beach of Hunting Island State Park. But we really enjoyed our time in Atlanta, which started with a splash at the Holiday Lights show at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The city has a lot to offer, including a world-class aquarium, the High Art Museum, which featured an intriguing exhibition on the outsider art of Grandma Moses and Horace Pippen, and upscale shopping at Ponce City Market. The highlight was a 3-hour bike tour with Bicycle Tours of Atlanta that started at MLK’s boyhood home just down the block from Ebenezer Baptist Church, and ended with the cottages in Cabbagetown, with stops at Inman Park and the house used for the television show, Lovecraft Country. We also were introduced to the wonderful Atlanta Beltline, which transformed 33 miles of old railroad track into a biking and walking path that surrounds the city. Afterwards, our excellent guide, Robyn Elliot, led us to many walls and bridges covered with graffiti art. A perfect introduction to the city.

Quick Escape: Puerto Rico

Condado Ocean Club, Puerto RicoIf you need to escape the winter weather, Puerto Rico might be your best bet right now. We’ve been booking a lot of Puerto Rican travel these past 3 months. Why? They have some of the lowest COVID numbers in America and their vaccination rate is one of the highest. Puerto Rico requires no passport for Americans, but you will need your vaccination cards uploadhttps://www.fairmont.com/puerto-rico/ed on their declaration form. Also, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and excluded from the CDC requirement to provide a negative COVID-19 test result to return to the mainland United States. Translation: You can’t get stuck there! Lastly, the many direct and affordable flights to Puerto Rico makes the island easily accessible from across America.

The properties on island we like are Condado Vanderbilt and their new sister property, Condado Ocean Club, Dorado Beach Ritz Carlton, St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Wyndham Rio Mar, and the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. While there, you can take a walking tour of historic San Juan, hike to the waterfalls in the El Yunque Rainforest, and sea kayak amongst the shimmering waters of Bioluminescent Bay. Or simply sit on the beach with the latest Amor Towles novel and enjoy the 80-degree weather and days of sunshine. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and we’ll be happy to check availability based on your budget.

Bitter End Yacht Club To Finally Reopen This Winter

Bitter End Yacht Club ReopensLast time I sailed past the Bitter End Yacht Club on the island of Virgin Gorda, it was in tatters in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Cottages were torn to pieces or upside down, capsized boats dotted the shoreline. It was February 2018 and we were sailing with our friends Amy and Josh on a 41-foot sailboat out of Tortola. For the past 4 years since Irma, it has been the sailors and boaters living aboard their boats in the British Virgin Islands that have greatly enhanced the recovery of this classic cruising ground. And what a memorable trip it is! Snorkeling in the Baths of Virgin Gorda, walking the long stretch of beach on Anegada, and sleeping under the stars at any number of serene anchorages.

Stopping at the Bitter End for drinks, dinner, or a good night’s sleep in those cottages has always been on everyone’s itinerary. Thankfully, that will happen again once Bitter End reopens in January 2022. The 64-acre grounds will be a little bit different with a new Waterfront Plaza as its central hub. Have drinks with other sailors at The Quarterdeck Marina, a two-story, open-air venue featuring an upstairs lounge and waterfront views.

If you’re hoping to charter a sailboat this coming winter in the Caribbean, please let ActiveTravels know! We have a great relationship with Horizon Yacht Charters, located in Tortola and St. Vincent and are happy to design a route for ActiveTravels clients in both the BVIs or the Grenadines.

Ranch 4.0 To Reopen in January

Ranch 4.0 in MalibuNeed a quick getaway to jumpstart that depleted body, mind, and spirit after a far-too-long pandemic? Well, thankfully there are wellness resorts that provide the perfect mix of outdoors, yoga, meditation, and nutrition in a good 4 to 5-day spurt. When Ranch 4.0 starts up again in January 2022, plan on hiking some 50 miles over four days in the coastal California foothills and then returning to a 1400 calorie a day plant-based diet. Programs run from Thursday to Sunday and you’ll be staying in comfort at the Four Seasons property in nearby Westlake Village.

Please contact ActiveTravels if you’re looking to rejuvenate this Fall or any other time of year!